A New HTTP Status Code for Legally-restricted Resourcesdraft-tbray-http-legally-restricted-status-00

Abstract

This document specifies an additional Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
status code for use when resource access is denied for legal reasons.

Status of this Memo

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This Internet-Draft will expire on December 13, 2012.

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Table of Contents

1.
Introduction

This document specifies an additional Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
status code for use when resource access is denied for legal reasons.
This allows server operators to operate with greater transparency
in circumstances where issues of law or public policy affect their
operation. This transparency may be beneficial both to these operators
and to end users.

Feedback should occur on the ietf-http-wg@w3.org mailing list,
although this draft is NOT a work item of the IETF HTTPbis Working
Group.

3.
451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons

This status code indicates that the server is subject to
legal restrictions which prevent it servicing the request.

Since such restrictions typically apply to all operators in a
legal jurisdiction, the server in question may or may not be an
origin server. The restrictions typically most directly affect
the operations of ISPs and search engines.

Responses using this status code SHOULD include an explanation,
in the response body, of the details of the legal restriction; which
legal authority is imposing it, and what class of resources it applies
to. For example:

HTTP/1.1 451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons
Content-Type: text/html
<html>
<head>
<title>Unavailable For Legal Reasons</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Unavailable For Legal Reasons</h1>
<p>This request may not be serviced in the Roman Province of
Judea due to Lex3515, the Legem Ne Subversionem Act of AUC755,
which disallows access to resources hosted on servers deemed
to be operated by the Judean Liberation Front.</p>
</body>
</html>

The use of the 451 status code implies neither the existence nor
non-existence of the resource named in the request. That is to say,
it is possible that if the legal restriction were removed,
a request for the resource might still not succeed.

4.
Security Considerations

4.1.
451 Unavailable for Legal Reasons

The 451 status code is optional; clients cannot rely upon its
use. It is imaginable that certain legal authorities may wish
to avoid transparency, and not only forbid access to certain
resources, but also disclosure that the restriction exists.